Tesla Dominates The Current Electric Vehicle Segment

Although Big Auto continues to turn up the volume on their electric vehicle rhetoric, it’s doubtful we’ll see any meaningful Tesla competitors for some time. Why? Big Auto is quick to hype plenty of all-electric concept cars, but, launching production EVs remains a painfully slow process. Sure, that’ll change eventually. But, until then, we’re forced to look at how Tesla stacks up against current electric vehicle competition on the road today.

Looking at performance stats, Tesla’s top-end flagship sedan, the Model S P100D, remains an absolute beast. The “ludicrous” ability to rocket from 0-60 MPH in 2.28 seconds, makes Tesla’s Model S the fastest accelerating production car on the planet. Gas-guzzling supercars that cost more than a million dollars can’t catch it — let alone other EVs. That said, EV connoisseurs may be concerned about more practical matters — driving range and charging capability.

According to Inverse*, “The United States Department of Transportation claims that 100 miles of range is sufficient for 90 percent of all household trips in the country.”

So nearly all electric cars today are great in order to get around town. For short commutes, you won’t have a problem in most EVs. Take the driving range of the Nissan Leaf in comparison with today’s available electric vehicles (see infographic below) — yes, it placed last on the list, but, it’s still more-than-sufficient to handle most drivers’ needs.

Above: Weekend road trip in a Tesla Model S

That said, what about taking the celebrated summer road trip with family or friends? Recently, we analyzed how Tesla fared against the current crop of EV competitors. From LA to San Francisco or from Amsterdam to Stuttgart — Tesla was the clear road trip winner. And Tesla’s charging infrastructure also reigns supreme. In order to illustrate this further, be sure to check out this handy infographic that details how Tesla’s Model S and Model X dominates other electric vehicles…

11 responses to "Tesla Dominates The Current Electric Vehicle Segment"

WOW. I only pay 100.000$ and get a range of 300 miles on a sigle charge. Now this is the future. The 240 miles of Bolt are laughable compared to this. Damn never thought those high expnesive cars are superior. I’m gonna buy an 100.000$ Mercedes next time instead of an 18.000$ Corolla

This infographic by TitleProLoans is full of errors. Many numbers are way off, inflated (i-MiEV for example) or outdated (LEAF). Please don’t repost this here when far better data is available (http://insideevs.com/compare-plug-ins).

I have to add my name to the list of complainants. I have a 2015 Leaf that does well better than the infographic range. I also have to disagree about listing the L1 charging times first while not listing the Tesla L1 or L2 times at all!

I would think the chart was several years old if it wasn’t for the appearance of the Bolt EV.

For example:

“Renault Fluence ZE: It uses battery-swapping technology. They can be swapped in 5 minutes.”

This was the car used by Better Place in its Israel-based battery swapping subscription scheme. Better Place went out of business in May 2013. Is there still some place where you can swap battery packs on this car? It seems doubtful.

With the Bolt EV on the chart, it appears to be an erratic mix of outdated and recent info.